Best ISO 42001 auditors for startups
This ranking of the top ISO 42001 certification bodies gives extra weight to things which matter most for startups: price, responsiveness and software tooling.
Our assessment criteria
Startups often need a clear price, a quick response and an audit process that does not create unnecessary administrative work. This page gives those factors more weight, while still assessing accreditation, reviews, auditor reputation and integrated audits.
Accreditations
We assess the accreditations a certification body holds, who granted them and whether they apply specifically to ISO/IEC 42001. UKAS carries the greatest weight for a UK buyer, while recognised accreditation from ANAB, RvA or JAS-ANZ also counts.
Reviews
We read public reviews for evidence about certification audits, giving greater weight to reviews that relate directly to ISO 42001 or other management-system audits. General comments about training, standards purchases or customer service do not provide the same evidence.
Pricing
We look for published prices, clear information about what they include and a stated method for sizing the audit. Only one body in the study publishes certification prices, so the other seven quote individually.
Responsiveness
We assess how clearly a body explains its process, how quickly it can respond and whether it gives buyers useful information about availability and timing. Startups often have less spare time, so this receives one of the highest weights on this page.
Leverage of software/tooling
We look at how a body uses software and existing client systems during the audit. A stronger score reflects an approach that can reduce duplicate evidence gathering and limit the time a startup spends preparing spreadsheets and documents.
Auditor reputation
We assess the public evidence behind the people conducting the audits, including relevant experience, named ISO 42001 certificates, clients or case studies, and information about auditor competence. The score reflects checkable evidence rather than a firm's size or age.
Integrated audits
We assess whether a body can combine ISO 42001 with a management system the startup already runs, such as ISO 27001. This includes reusing shared evidence, mapping related controls and aligning audit visits where the evidence supports it.
ISO 42001 auditors compared
Tempo Audits ranks first for startups at 8.0, followed by Schellman at 7.6. The table uses the same scores as the main ranking, with greater weight given to pricing, responsiveness and software/tooling.
| # | Total/10 | Certification body | Accreditations20% | Reviews14% | Pricing18% | Responsiveness20% | Leverage of software/tooling18% | Auditor reputation6% | Integrated audits4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8.0 |  |
4 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | 7.6 |  |
6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 3 | 6.5 |  |
10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| 4 | 6.5 |  |
9 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| 5 | 6.1 |  |
8 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 6 | 5.8 |  |
9 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| 7 | 5.2 |  |
9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| 8 | 5.0 |  |
6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
Detailed analysis of top ISO 42001 auditors
One entry per body. Each card gives the verdict, followed by the seven scores and the evidence behind them. Every scored claim has a numbered source listed at the foot of the entry.
1
Tempo Audits
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8.0/10
Tempo Audits
Visit website8.0 overall, first place. Tempo leads on the factors most likely to shape a startup's buying experience: price, responsiveness and reviews.
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It also shares the highest tooling score.
Its accreditation score is 4, the largest deduction in the study. UKAS accredits Tempo for ISO 27001 and SOC 2, not ISO 42001. Tempo is progressing through the second UKAS tranche for ISO 42001 and expects accreditation in late 2026, according to its public statements.
What they certify: ISO 27001 certification, UKAS accredited · AICPA SOC 2 assurance · ISO 42001 certification · All three audited together.
What to watch for: the accreditation gap. If your customer requires a UKAS-accredited ISO 42001 certificate, a certificate issued outside that scope will not meet the requirement. Ask for the accreditation schedule in writing, confirm which standards it covers, and establish what would happen to your certificate if Tempo receives ISO 42001 accreditation later.
UKAS accredits Tempo for ISO/IEC 27001 [1]. Tempo is in the second UKAS tranche for ISO/IEC 42001 and, based on its public confirmations, expects accreditation in late 2026 [3].
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The score reflects the standard named on the accreditation schedule. Tempo receives 4 rather than 0 because its UKAS relationship, impartiality assessment and audited processes are already in place.
(9.5 under the review method). We read all 74 reviews. Sixty-seven concern audits, and all received five stars.
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One concerns an ISO 42001 audit, 34 mention ISO 27001, and every relevant review dates from the past twelve months [4].
Speed and clarity recur throughout the reviews. Tempo has not replied to any review, although the profile contains no low marks requiring a response.
Tempo is the only body in this study that publishes certification prices. Initial certification costs £3,500 to £20,000, surveillance costs £1,600 to £9,000 a year, and recertification costs £3,500 to £14,000 [2].
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It also explains the main cost drivers, separates included work from exclusions, and says roughly 70 to 75 per cent of quoted audit days involve time with an auditor.
The other seven bodies quote on enquiry. That leaves Tempo with the clearest pricing advantage for a startup building a shortlist.
Tempo also identifies the factors it uses when scoping an audit: headcount, the AI roles in scope, the number of sites, sector risk and the number of AI systems covered. Those details give a buyer more visibility into how risk affects the audit than a headcount-only approach.
The score stops at 9 rather than 10 because the final audit-day count still requires an enquiry. Published day rates and a range do not settle the exact scope.
Tempo's value case is strongest for modern cloud and SaaS teams that want a nimble, tech-centred, UKAS-accredited boutique body with lean, remote-first delivery rather than the overhead of a traditional provider.
Tempo's client statements describe audits that moved quickly, fitted around deadlines and created little disruption.
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One client directly compared Tempo with other firms and described it as faster than the alternatives considered.
Tempo publishes no booking lead time, so the evidence comes from client testimony rather than a formal service commitment. The reviews and statements we found consistently describe Tempo as the fastest body in this study.
Tempo works exclusively with software, SaaS and AI companies. It says it works within the tools clients already use and publishes material on ISO/IEC 42006 audit methodology rather than repeating the standard's contents.
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Its integrations with Vanta, Drata and Secureframe allow it to take continuous evidence through APIs. That can reduce the manual document collection often associated with an audit.
For a startup whose AI is part of its product, this is one of Tempo's clearest advantages. No other body in the study focuses so specifically on software and AI companies.
Tempo has the shortest institutional record in the study. Founded in 2022, it has not yet issued an accredited ISO 42001 certificate and has not published a named AI case study.
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Its public profile is growing, supported by its founder's presence on LinkedIn and the company website. Tempo also receives strong reviews and is the only body here that clearly identifies who will conduct the audit, with clients naming the same auditor across an engagement.
Review quality is scored separately under Reviews, so it is not counted again here.
Tempo focuses on ISO 27001, SOC 2 and ISO 42001, which covers the combination many software companies are likely to consider.
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Its range is narrower than the larger certification bodies in this study. That limits the number of standards it can combine within one wider management-system programme.
Reporting, not scored
Tempo's stated position is "Less jargon, more clarity". Client statements support that description, including one from someone who had worked with many auditors and another that praised the way Tempo explained the process without confusion.
2
Schellman
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7.6/10
Schellman
Visit website7.6 overall, second place. Schellman has the deepest ISO 42001 record in this study. It received ANAB accreditation in September 2024, eighteen months before UKAS granted its first ISO 42001 accreditation.
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The qualification for a UK buyer is geographical. ANAB accreditation is internationally recognised, but UK procurement teams may specifically request UKAS. That distinction means Schellman scores 6 on accreditation and costs it first place on this UK-framed list. On a global comparison, its position would be much stronger.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 and ISO/IEC 27001 · SOC 1, SOC 2 and SOC 3 · PCI DSS, FedRAMP, HITRUST · AI red teaming.
What to watch for: confirm whether your customer accepts an ANAB-accredited certificate. If Schellman is already providing your SOC 2, ask whether the ISO 42001 audit will be handled by its AI specialists or assigned to the existing SOC 2 team. Also check whether UKAS accreditation has been granted before relying on it for a UK procurement requirement.
ANAB accredited Schellman to certify ISO/IEC 42001 in September 2024, making it the first certification body in the world to receive accreditation for the standard [1].
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UKAS named Schellman in its first tranche, but the grant remains unconfirmed [3].
ANAB is an IAF multilateral agreement signatory, so Schellman's certificate is internationally recognised. The score is 6 rather than 9 because this list is UK-focused. UK procurement teams may ask specifically for UKAS, just as they may question Intertek's JAS-ANZ accreditation.
(7.8 under the review method). Schellman has 33 Gartner Peer Insights reviews with an average rating of 5.0. The profile covers the compliance and attestation market, and the newest review dates from August 2025 [5].
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Gartner blocks automated reading, so we read the profile by hand. We could not read each review closely enough to assess its relevance line by line. The age of the newest review is the main factor keeping Schellman below Tempo.
Schellman publishes no price list. Its own material describes a fixed-fee model, which gives buyers more certainty about the form of the charge even though it provides no figure.
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Its pricing appears positioned at the higher end of this study. Schellman combines specialist technical expertise with complex multi-framework work, often alongside SOC 2, and has strong recognition among enterprise buyers. The research did not find a comparable published price, so a startup would need to request a quote.
Schellman has built its delivery reputation through SOC 2 work, where deadlines are contractual. Its reported 90 per cent client retention rate across five years is consistent with a firm that delivers on schedule.
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No booking lead time is published. That keeps the score below 9 and outside the top tier.
Schellman serves cloud, data-centre, fintech and SaaS clients. It also provides AI red teaming, giving its AI audit work a connection to adversarial testing rather than management-system work alone.
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Its published writing on lessons from real ISO 42001 audits is the only material of its kind from a body with two years of experience under the standard. Tempo scores slightly higher because its audit delivery is built specifically around software companies and compliance platforms.
Schellman was founded in 2002 and received ISO 42001 accreditation eighteen months before the first UK accreditation.
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It therefore has more completed ISO 42001 audit experience behind it than any other body in this study.
Three of the 17 publicly named certificates are Schellman certificates, including Amazon Web Services. Schellman also publishes named practitioners writing about real ISO 42001 engagements, another distinction in this field.
Schellman has the broadest integrated offer in the study. ANAB accredits it for ISO/IEC 42001, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 20000-1, ISO 9001 and ISO 22301.
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UKAS also accredits it for ISO/IEC 27001.
Its wider assurance work includes SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS, FedRAMP and HITRUST. A startup already buying SOC 2 can explore adding ISO 42001 within an existing relationship.
Reporting, not scored
Schellman's writing is clear and focused on practitioners. It is pitched at compliance and audit teams rather than at a general business audience.
3
BSI Assurance UK
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6.5/10
BSI Assurance UK
Visit website6.5 overall, third place. BSI is the safest answer on accreditation. It is the only body scoring 10 on that criterion, supported by UKAS, RvA and ANAB accreditation for ISO/IEC 42001.
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The trade-off is visible elsewhere: it scores 4 on pricing and 5 on responsiveness, which pulls a first-class credential down to third.
Start here if your certificate must pass a formal procurement review. Contact other bodies first if you need an early price or a fast start.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 certification · Pre-certification assessment, sold separately · ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 9001 alongside it · ISO 42001 training, and the standard itself.
What to watch for: ask who will conduct the audit and what ISO 42001 experience they have. BSI's pre-certification assessment is separate from the certification audit. Its role in developing the standard does not confirm that the same experts will work on your engagement.
BSI holds accreditation from UKAS, RvA in the Netherlands and ANAB in the United States for ISO/IEC 42001 [2].
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UKAS made BSI the first certification body in the world to receive its ISO/IEC 42001 accreditation [1].
The three accreditations give BSI a strong answer for UK, EU and US procurement. No other body in this study has the same combination, which is why the criterion carries 20 per cent.
(4.4 under the review method). BSI has 29 Trustpilot reviews. Twenty-six received one or two stars, and BSI has not replied to any of them [5].
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Eleven reviews concern certification audits, with an average rating of 1.45. Complaints include an audit report that was never sent and extra audit days announced nine days before a certificate expired. The remaining reviews concern the shop, invoices, standards documents and training. Trustpilot categorises the profile under Money & Insurance.
BSI publishes no prices, price ranges or audit-day guidance on its ISO 42001 pages. Buyers receive the figures through an enquiry [3].
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That makes it difficult for a startup to compare BSI before opening a sales conversation. BSI does publish substantial free guidance on ISO 42001, so the enquiry can begin with more information than a bare quote request.
BSI publishes no lead time or turnaround commitment. Its size and full audit calendar suggest a more formal process, although we found no evidence that establishes the delivery time for a particular engagement.
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The score therefore remains at the midpoint. The research cannot support a higher or lower conclusion.
BSI has substantial resources and proprietary portals such as BSI Connect. Its audit delivery remains rooted in a highly standardised model, with less public evidence of continuous compliance integrations or rapid adaptation to software teams.
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That approach may suit a regulated product with formal controls. A startup shipping a web application each week should ask how the audit team will use its existing systems and evidence.
BSI has the longest management-system certification record in the study and the strongest published ISO 42001 record.
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Its named and dated certificates include KPMG Australia, the first organisation certified globally through BSI, NUWAVE, certified in May 2026, Darktrace and Miro.
No other body in this study can point to a comparable set of publicly identified ISO 42001 certificates.
BSI holds UKAS accreditation across a wide range of management systems, far beyond ISO 9001, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001, supported by its three ISO/IEC 42001 accreditations.
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That gives it scope to combine ISO 42001 with most standards a buyer already holds.
It scores below Schellman because BSI does not provide SOC 2.
Reporting, not scored
BSI publishes thorough material in formal standards language. It is accurate and useful for readers familiar with ISO certification, although a first-time buyer will need to work harder to follow it.
4
Alcumus ISOQAR
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6.5/10
Alcumus ISOQAR
Visit website6.5 overall, fourth place. Alcumus ISOQAR is a mid-market all-rounder. It names the people involved in its ISO 42001 work and offers separate gap analyses against the clauses and Annex A controls.
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Its broad UKAS accreditation supports the combined audits many buyers will want. The public record says little about the commercial details, including price, lead time and the way a combined audit is scoped.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, UKAS accredited · Gap analysis against the clauses · Gap analysis against the Annex A controls.
What to watch for: ask how ISO 42001 will be combined with ISO 27001, including the proposed audit-day count and saving. ISOQAR publishes no prices or accreditation date. Its gap analysis is a separate purchase from certification, as the organisation preparing you cannot then audit you.
ISOQAR's website states that it is UKAS-accredited for ISO/IEC 42001 [1]. UKAS named Alcumus ISOQAR Limited in its first tranche [2].
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The score is 9 on the same basis as NQA because each holds one relevant accreditation, compared with BSI's three. ISOQAR does not publish a grant date. We asked for confirmation, but no answer had been recorded when this entry was checked.
(6.6 under the review method). ISOQAR has 26 reviews on Reviews.io with an average rating of 4.4. Twelve concern training courses, and four concern audits.
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Three of those four audit reviews received five stars [4].
The only review in this study that names ISO 42001 concerns a one-star ISO 42001 lead-auditor course. No review about an audit dates from the past year.
ISOQAR publishes no prices and directs buyers to request a quote. Its separate descriptions of the clause gap analysis and Annex A control gap analysis make the two purchases clear, which earns it a point above bodies that publish less about the process.
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Separating clause conformity from control selection reflects the structure of ISO/IEC 42001 clause 6.1.3. It gives a buyer a clearer starting point for discussing scope, although the final price and audit-day count remain unpublished.
ISOQAR publishes no lead time or turnaround commitment. We found no particular evidence that it moves faster than the larger bodies.
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The score is an inference based on its mid-market position, rather than evidence from a published service commitment or client testimony.
ISOQAR uses customer portals to manage engagements. The public material describes a more traditional document-review approach than deep integration with APIs or compliance platforms.
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That observation does not assess the quality of its audits. If your AI is part of a software product, ask whether the audit team will work inside your existing tooling and what evidence it can accept directly.
ISOQAR has held UKAS accreditation since February 1993. It is also the only body in this study with a published ISO 42001 case study naming both the client and the person who conducted the work.
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The company names three ISO 42001 practitioners publicly. Their individual credentials are not published alongside those names, which keeps the score below 8.
ISOQAR holds UKAS accreditation across a broad range, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO 22301, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001 and ISO 55001.
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That covers the ISO 27001 certification many startups already hold or plan to add.
ISOQAR publishes no method for calculating a combined audit-day count. It also does not provide SOC 2.
Reporting, not scored
ISOQAR's writing is clear and practical for organisations preparing for certification. Its free responsible AI guide is useful, although the material is less accessible than NQA's buyer-focused explanation.
5
LRQA
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6.1/10
LRQA
Visit website6.1 overall, fifth place. LRQA is a traditional UK certification body with a long management-system history.
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UKAS named LRQA in its first ISO 42001 tranche, and third-party reporting places the accreditation in February 2026. The score falls on the practical information a startup needs before buying: no published prices, no lead times and little public detail about the audit team.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 certification in two phases · Optional gap analysis with an auditor beforehand · Integrated audits across several management systems · Training including a one-day introduction, internal auditor and lead auditor conversion courses.
What to watch for: ask for prices, lead times, sector examples and auditor credentials. LRQA's public offer may be broader than its website makes clear, but the buyer has to establish much of it directly.
UKAS named LRQA Limited in its first ISO 42001 tranche [1]. Third-party reporting says UKAS granted the accreditation in February 2026.
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LRQA is a long-established UK certification body with the accreditation a UK buyer is most likely to request. The grant has not been confirmed against a UKAS register in the evidence reviewed for this entry.
(7.7 under the review method). LRQA has 323 Trustpilot reviews with an average rating of 4.9, but the headline figure gives the wrong impression of audit evidence.
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Of the newest 200 reviews, 171 are in Dutch and 190 concern training courses [4].
Only seven reviews concern an audit, with an average rating of 3.86. One is in English. LRQA is the only body in this study that has replied to a review.
The picture that comes through is an old-school, traditional UKAS-accredited image.
LRQA publishes no prices, price ranges or audit-day guidance. A buyer has to request a quote to understand the likely cost.
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Its offer appears suited to large groups and complex enterprise supply chains, where higher day counts and premium pricing are common. The public material does not provide figures for a startup to test that assumption.
LRQA publishes no booking lead time. It describes a two-phase audit but attaches no timescale to either phase.
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The research found no evidence to support a faster or slower conclusion. Startups should ask for the earliest available audit date and the expected time between stages.
LRQA's public material provides no clear evidence of a software-led audit approach. It does not explain how it works with cloud infrastructure, model development tools or compliance platforms.
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The experience may depend heavily on the auditor assigned. Ask how your team will provide evidence and whether the audit team can work inside the systems you already use.
LRQA has certified management systems since 1985 and can point to an ISO 42001 certificate for Emirates Health Services, one of the earliest organisations worldwide to certify to the standard, in April 2024.
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Its long history supports the institutional reputation score. The public record contains less detail about the individual auditor and the wider ISO 42001 team.
LRQA offers integrated audits across several management systems and has a strong training ladder for internal auditors and lead auditors.
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That combination supports a startup already running another management system. The public material does not explain the calculation for a combined audit-day count.
Reporting, not scored
LRQA's writing is clear and conventional. It assumes a reader who already understands certification language.
6
NQA Certification
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5.8/10
NQA Certification
Visit website5.8 overall, sixth place. NQA offers a credible upper-mid-market option, with UKAS accreditation and integrated management-system audits.
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Its review score is 0 because no readable review profile exists. That single evidence gap costs NQA more than any other individual deduction in the study. The public material also leaves price, timing, auditor identity and AI expertise for the buyer to establish directly.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 certification, UKAS accredited · The standard management-system set · Integrated audits.
What to watch for: NQA's ISO 42001 page blocks automated access, so parts of this entry rely on third-party reporting. Confirm the accreditation date directly. Ask for the audit-day count and rate separately, and establish whether AI scope will be assessed by AI specialists or generalist auditors.
UKAS accredited NQA for ISO/IEC 42001 in January 2026 [1], among the earliest grants after BSI. UKAS also named NQA Certification in its first tranche [2].
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NQA holds one relevant accreditation, while BSI holds three. For a UK-only buyer, that difference may have little practical effect. A company selling into the EU or US should check which accreditation its customers accept. That is why the score is 9 rather than 10.
We found no readable NQA review profile on Trustpilot, Reviews.io or Gartner.
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That is a finding about NQA's public review footprint. It does not establish anything about the quality of its audits, and NQA has a positive reputation in the wider market.
NQA publishes no prices. Its process material gives more detail about what certification involves than BSI's ISO 42001 material, so a buyer can approach the enquiry with a clearer idea of the work.
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NQA presents itself as a business-friendly provider with competitive pricing and efficient scheduling for SMEs and mid-market SaaS companies. Those claims are not supported by published prices, so ask for the proposed scope, day count and rate.
NQA publishes no lead time. The score sits above the largest providers because a mid-market body may have more calendar flexibility.
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That is an inference from scale, not evidence from NQA about a particular engagement. That is why the score is 6 and not higher. Ask for the earliest available audit date before treating the score as a delivery expectation.
NQA describes experience auditing remote-first and cloud-hosted systems and says it can accept evidence from automated compliance dashboards instead of relying solely on paper records.
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The public record does not establish whether AI scope is assessed by dedicated AI auditors or generalists applying a new standard. We asked NQA, but no answer had been recorded when this entry was checked.
NQA was formed in 1988 and has certified management systems since then. UKAS granted its ISO 42001 accreditation in January 2026, but no ISO 42001 certificate issued by NQA is publicly named.
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The research found no named AI case study, auditor list or published credentials. NQA has a long general certification record, with little buyer-checkable evidence on ISO 42001 itself.
NQA offers integrated audits across its management-system range, including ISO 27001, which many startups already hold or plan to add.
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It does not provide SOC 2 and publishes no method for calculating a combined audit-day count.
Reporting, not scored
NQA writes for organisations buying certification rather than for auditors delivering it. The explanations are clear without stripping away the technical detail.
That makes its public material one of the more useful starting points for a first-time buyer, and the second-best explanatory writing on the list.
7
TÜV UK
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5.2/10
TÜV UK
Visit website5.2 overall, seventh place. TÜV UK is the UK arm of the German heritage brand TÜV NORD.
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The main buyer risk is identifying the correct legal entity. TÜV SÜD, TÜV NORD and TÜV Rheinland are separate companies, and their accreditations do not transfer between them.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 certification, UKAS and RvA accredited · A broad management-system and product-safety portfolio · Integrated audits.
What to watch for: confirm the legal entity named on the quote and read the accreditation schedule rather than relying on a TÜV logo. TÜV UK Limited is the entity named in the UKAS programme. TÜV SÜD sells ISO 42001 certification but is a different company, with different accreditations. TÜV UK publishes no price or timing information, so ask for both.
TÜV NORD holds UKAS and RvA accreditation for ISO/IEC 42001, covering TÜV UK's relevant UK and EU certification activity [1].
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UKAS named TÜV UK Limited in its first tranche [3].
The two accreditations offer wider geographic coverage than one. The score remains 9 rather than 10 because TÜV UK has no US accreditation in the evidence reviewed.
We found no readable review profile for TÜV UK. The TÜV NORD group profile contains one review about India from 2022, while the German profile concerns vehicle inspection.
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Nothing in the available profiles concerns a UK ISO 42001 audit. The score records the absence of public review evidence and does not assess TÜV UK's audit quality.
TÜV UK publishes no price, audit-day guidance or explanation of what the fee includes. Its ISO 42001 material also provides less preparation guidance than BSI.
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The TÜV brand may command premium pricing, but the research found no published figure to compare. Ask for the day count, rate and inclusions separately.
TÜV UK publishes no lead time or turnaround information. Its material does not address scheduling.
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The score remains at the midpoint because the research found no evidence to establish a faster or slower delivery expectation.
TÜV UK has strong assessment experience in physical and regulated systems. That background may suit AI embedded in industrial or safety-critical products.
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The public material provides little evidence that TÜV UK works inside a software company's compliance tooling. A startup delivering a model as a service should ask how the audit team will collect and test evidence.
TÜV has a strong heritage reputation, with the group dating from 1869. One ISO 42001 certificate, for Mentech Innovation, is traceable to the group, although we could not confirm its date.
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The research found no named auditors, published credentials or AI case study for TÜV UK. TÜV SÜD is a separate company, and certificates issued by TÜV SÜD do not belong to TÜV UK.
TÜV UK's broad portfolio gives it scope to combine ISO 42001 with standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 9001.
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It publishes no method for calculating a combined audit-day count and does not provide SOC 2.
Reporting, not scored
TÜV UK writes in standards and engineering language. That suits its traditional client base, but a software startup coming to ISO 42001 for the first time may find the material harder to use.
8
Intertek Certification
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5.0/10
Intertek Certification
Visit website5.0 overall, eighth place. Intertek holds valid ISO 42001 accreditation, but it comes from JAS-ANZ rather than UKAS.
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Its accreditation was issued globally in 2025.
JAS-ANZ accreditation is internationally recognised under the IAF multilateral agreement. On this UK-framed list, it scores 6 on accreditation rather than 9 because UK procurement teams may specifically request UKAS. A global or Asia-Pacific comparison would produce a different result.
What they certify: ISO/IEC 42001 certification, JAS-ANZ accredited · A broad testing, inspection and certification portfolio · ISO 42001 AI Foundation training course, UK.
What to watch for: establish whether your customer requires UKAS. If it does, a JAS-ANZ certificate may not meet the stated requirement, despite being internationally recognised. Ask whether UKAS accreditation has been granted and what would happen to a JAS-ANZ certificate if it is granted later. For a business with Asia-Pacific customers, JAS-ANZ may be the more familiar accreditation.
JAS-ANZ accredited Intertek to certify ISO/IEC 42001:2023 globally. Intertek announced the accreditation in 2025 [1], before the first UKAS grant.
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UKAS named Intertek Certification Ltd in its first tranche, but the grant remains unconfirmed [2].
JAS-ANZ is an IAF multilateral agreement signatory, which makes the certificate internationally recognised and portable. The score is 6 and matches Schellman because both hold recognised non-UKAS accreditation, and this list serves UK buyers.
(2.5 under the review method). Intertek has an unclaimed Trustpilot profile with 17 reviews. Fifteen received one or two stars, and none received a response [4].
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Two reviews concern certification, both rated one star. The newer one is from January 2025. The remaining reviews concern calls and emails across the group's testing businesses. This is a group profile, not a profile for the UK certification arm, so it provides limited evidence about an ISO 42001 audit.
Intertek publishes no prices or audit-day guidance in its ISO 42001 material.
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Its global testing and certification portfolio may create scope for combined work alongside other Intertek services. As a global FTSE 100 giant, it may command enterprise-level day rates, though there may be scope to discount or package work if ISO 27001 is consolidated alongside existing product testing, laboratory assurance or supply chain audits. The public record provides no comparable price, so a startup would need to request a quote and establish how any wider relationship affects the cost.
Intertek publishes no lead time or turnaround commitment. The score remains at the midpoint because the research found no evidence to support a different conclusion.
Intertek's work spans testing, inspection and certification, with a strong history in physical engineering, manufacturing and supply chains.
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Its public material describes standard remote-audit tools rather than deep integration with compliance platforms or product-development systems.
Intertek runs an ISO 42001 AI Foundation training course in the UK, which shows investment in building capability. Ask how that capability is reflected in the audit team and evidence process.
Intertek has substantial recognition in global supply chains, manufacturing and international corporate markets.
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The ISO 42001 evidence is thinner. JAS-ANZ accredited Intertek in 2025, but no ISO 42001 certificate is publicly named. The research found no AI case study, named auditor or published credentials.
Intertek's broad testing, inspection and certification portfolio gives it scope to combine audits in principle.
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It publishes no detail about the combined audit-day count and does not provide SOC 2.
Reporting, not scored
Intertek's material uses standards language throughout. It suits readers who already work in certification, but a startup approaching ISO 42001 for the first time may need clearer practical guidance.
The same ranking, weighted by company size
What matters to a twenty-person startup is not what matters to a five-thousand-person group. Each cut re-weights the same scores.
Questions startups ask when choosing an ISO 42001 auditor
How much does it cost a startup to get ISO 42001 certified?
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Initial certification runs £3,500 to £20,000 in the only published price range in this study, with surveillance at £1,600 to £9,000 a year. A small team with one or two AI systems sits at the bottom of that range. Headcount, number of sites and how many AI systems are in scope move the quote most, and around three quarters of quoted audit days are time with an auditor. Every other body on this list quotes on enquiry.
How quickly can a startup get ISO 42001 certified?
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Six to twelve months from a standing start, and less if you already hold ISO 27001. The audit runs in two stages a few weeks apart, and the certificate then lasts three years with an annual surveillance visit. Only one body on this list publishes a lead time to book, so for the rest you have to ask.
Who can certify a startup to ISO 42001?
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Only a certification body accredited for ISO/IEC 42001 can issue a startup an accredited certificate. A consultancy may help you prepare, and accreditation rules then prevent it from auditing a client it has prepared, so preparation and certification are two separate purchases.
Does a startup need a UKAS-accredited ISO 42001 certificate?
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It depends entirely on who is asking. If a customer contract names UKAS, a certificate issued outside that accreditation will not satisfy it however good the audit was. If nobody has specified, an unaccredited certificate from a credible body may be enough for now. Ask which accreditation body granted the certification body its accreditation, and for which standards, before you sign.
Does ISO 27001 help a startup get ISO 42001 certified?
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Yes, it gives you a real head start. The management-system structure carries across - scope, risk processes, internal audit and management review - and the AI-specific controls in Annex A still have to be addressed. Note that a body being accredited for ISO 27001 does not make it accredited for ISO/IEC 42001; that is a separate grant.
Can an ISO 42001 certification body pay to rank higher on this list?
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No. A labelled listing can be bought and a score cannot. The criteria and weights are published so you can check any ranking against the method, corrections are reviewed within two working days, and payment affects what a body can tell us and what it is shown of the workings - never its position.
Sarah Rice
Editor
Sarah Rice is a PR specialist & digital marketing expert who has spent more than 30 years working with SEO & GEO agencies, PR agencies and brands across a huge range of sectors. She is Director of Rice PR and Director & Editor of The HR World. Earlier in her career, she was Head of Public Affairs and Press Manager at RAC and Head of Campaigns at JBP, and has also worked with DC Thomas and a number of charities.
- Director, Bristol Women in Business Charter
- Masters, Creative Writing